Eric and Paula are recording from Canada, Nick’s in LA, and the mailbag is full of Kona questions. We work through what the race actually does to your body and why it breaks even the best in the world, answer your training and gear questions, get a van update, and weigh in on the Moab 240 weather cancellation controversy.

This week we discussed:

• Bike Tech with Eric: should you remove dried tubeless sealant film from inside your tire, or does it actually add protection?
• What truly makes Kona harder than any other Ironman, heat, humidity, wind, the pre-race demands, cameras, and the psychological weight of the race itself
• Should athletes have the option to keep their Ironman race tracking private?
• Running vs. cycling right of way on Ali’i Drive, and the broader question of pedestrian lane etiquette
• Would extending the trash zone at aid stations improve safety and fueling, and did Gustav Iden and Matthew Marquardt's penalty tent stops accidentally help put them on the podium?
• Carbon plated shoe lifespan: are your Hoka Rocket X 2s still worth racing in over 200km?
• How hard should you actually swim a 70.3, and if swimming is your highest heart rate activity of the day, are you costing yourself on the bike and run?
• Off-season training structure, to rest or not to rest?
• How do you keep up with the laundry that three sports creates?
• The Moab 240 cancellation: the decision to start knowing bad weather was coming
• Treadmill workout structure: TrainingPeaks, Zwift custom workouts, or just winging it?

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Paula raced the Ironman World Championship in Kona, and this is the full, unfiltered debrief. No questions this week. Just Paula, Eric, and Nick working through the whole day: the rough, choppy swim, the windy bike leg, and a marathon that became something else entirely. This episode is the whole story:

• The days leading into Kona: the commitments, the exhaustion, the headaches, and whether the race week experience matched four years of FOMO
• The TTL Kona Donut Run recap, Malasadas, two kilometers in the heat, and a star-studded crowd
• The swim: rough conditions, a swollen lip, disorientation near the far buoy, and finishing in good position despite it all
• The bike: treating the first half like a 70.3, riding above watts to chase people, Race Ranger dynamics, and what Paula would do differently
• Navigating the aid stations in 28mph crosswinds on a day when the fastest male pro bike split was 4:11
• The run: from the first steps on Ali'i Drive to the Energy Lab turnaround and back, what it actually felt like, minute by minute
• Rachel Zelenkas, Kat Matthews, and the camaraderie that got Paula to the finish line
• Lucy Charles, Solveig Løvseth, and a day that humbled the entire pro field
• Whether finishing without a medical reason to stop is something to be proud of
• What Paula thinks about doing it again
• Kona TTL gear still available, Energy Lab hats, Castelli technical apparel, socks, and swim caps

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To help support the podcast, and if you have a question for next week, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Just the boys this week. We're recording live from Kona, a couple of days before Paula toes the line at the Ironman World Championship. Eric and Nick recap the week so far, including the TTL Donut Run, which brought out some familiar faces including Flora Duffy, Heather Jackson, and Jodie Stimpson. Then listener submitted questions.

This week we discussed:

• Kona race week: what it's actually like to be here, the energy, the chaos, and the pro athlete sightings
• The TTL Kona Donut Run recap, malasadas, a big turnout, and some A-list company
• Best apps for finding triathlon training routes, gravel rides, and camping spots
• Hip mobility stretches that actually work
• Would Nick take over from Bob Babbitt someday, and what would he call the series?
• Miscounting laps in the pool: do you shorten the next interval or just carry on?
• Advice to your past selves at the inception of TTL, and what it means for anyone building something big from scratch
• Surviving washboard gravel roads: positioning, speed, and whether anything actually helps
• Hydration on long trail and gravel rides with no gas stations in sight
• Backing out of a race you signed up for with a friend, how to feel about it
• Why marathon swimmers hold 1:10 per 100m for 10K but pro triathletes swim 1:20 for 3.8K

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast